U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe addressed her team’s stunning World Cup elimination earlier this week Wednesday on social media.
“This game is so beautiful, even in its cruelest moments. This group was so very special, and I am immensely proud of every single one of us,” Rapinoe wrote on Instagram.
The U.S. Women’s National Team lost to Sweden in a penalty shootout in the round of 16 on Sunday in Melbourne, Australia.
Rapinoe was one of the three Americans to miss, sending the U.S. team to its earliest exit from a Women’s World Cup.
The 38-year-old announced in July this would be her last World Cup as she made the decision to retire.
Rapinoe added, “This team is in special hands as I walk away, just like it always was, and always will be.”
“Because that is what this team is all about,” she said. “We lay it all out on the line every single time. Fighting with everything that we have, for everything we deserve, for every person we possibly can.
“It has been my honor to play for our country, with so many incredible [women], for so many years.”
While she is a gifted soccer player, Rapinoe’s career often has been overshadowed by her off-the-field antics and outspoken left-wing activism.
In an interview following the Sunday loss, she was asked what memory meant the most to her from her time with the USWNT.
Rather than pointing to an on-field moment or World Cup victory, the soccer star cited the successful effort to win equal pay for the men’s and women’s national teams.
“This team has always fought for so much more, and that’s been the most rewarding part for me,” she said.
Rapinoe was among the first to join then-NFL player Colin Kaepernick in kneeling for the national anthem in 2016.
The soccer star continued to protest the anthem in 2019 as what she called an “F you” to then-President Donald Trump and his administration.
Trump mocked her failure in a Truth Social post Sunday.
This year, she spoke out in favor of allowing men who claim to be women to compete in women’s sporting competitions.
While Rapinoe’s World Cups are in the past, she still has a few competitions left, as her final regular-season match is set for Oct. 6 in Seattle.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.